( This one is from 2021.)
Back when I worked on film projects in Hollywood, the only one that ever made it onto the screen was "Rollover" with Jane Fonda and Kris Kristofferson in 1981.
The lead actor in the film was supposed to have been Robert Redford, according to the plans dawn up by Fonda's production company, IPC Films, which hired Howard Kohn and me to write the story.
Accordingly, the story we had submitted had two main characters named "Fonda" and "Redford."
But they were two of the biggest stars of that era, in their thirties at the time, and it proved impossible to join their schedules to our movie's shooting schedule.
So Kristofferson was subbed in for Redford, which was a disaster and the movie bombed. He was and is a great songwriter but he can't act. Had Redford played the part as we wrote it, who knows what might have happened.
The other day, I watched Fonda and Redford star in the 2017 film "Our Souls at Night." By now the stars in their eighties, and arguably better than ever.
I remember how much the pair had wanted to act in a film together when they were young (they actually did once in "The Electric Horseman.") Knowing that history, it was satisfying to see them finally together again in their later years.
"Souls" a sweet film about two elderly neighbors who get together romantically, which causes a bit of a stir in their town but they really don't care about that. I suppose you could say the story celebrates what happens when you reach the point where be you can do what you want to do regardless of public opinion.
***
Recently, a group of friends who are all of my age range met up and agreed that none of them cared all that much what people thought of them any longer either. At least not as much as when they were younger.
It is kind of a relief to reach this stage, they said. Every one of them had led a relatively successful career and those who had had marriages and children felt pretty much okay about how all of that turned out too.
They all seemed to be saying that while perception mattered more in the past, now reality is all they have time for.
Just like in the movie.
HEADLINES:
What we saw at the DNC in Chicago (NPR)
Kamala Harris has put Trump in a box, and he’s struggling to break out (WP)
2024 US presidential polls: Harris makes gains on Trump in national averages (Guardian)
Why Was It So Hard to Replace Biden? (New Yorker)
What Drives Kamala Harris: The Art of the Possible (NYT)
Democrats gave Harris a strong liftoff. Now comes the harder part. (WP)
Trump accepts RFK Jr endorsement and vows to release JFK assassination files (Guardian)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’s suspending his presidential bid and backing Donald Trump (AP)
Trump is hosting a fundraiser for domestic terrorists convicted of assaulting police officers, and some defendants still facing those charges, as part of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. [HuffPost]
RFK Jr. Was My Drug Dealer (Atlantic)
Powell just suggested interest rate cuts are coming. What everyone wants to know now (CNN)
Elon Musk’s Lawyers Quietly Subpoena Public Interest Groups (Mother Jones)
Sometimes You Just Have to Ignore the Economists (Atlantic)
Experts weigh in on next-generation nuclear reactors (AP)
A newsroom expands and the Onion is out again on paper. Not kidding. (WP)
AI-powered coding pulls in almost $1bn of funding to claim ‘killer app’ status (Financial Times)
China's robot makers chase Tesla to deliver humanoid workers (Reuters)
Chips or Not, Chinese AI Pushes Ahead (WSJ)
The Search Engine Wars Are Back On (New York)
Kennedy Curse Sure Taking Its Sweet Time With RFK Jr. (The Onion)
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